The term “electric vehicle” as used herein, includes vehicles having an electric motor for vehicle propulsion, such as battery electric vehicles (BEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). A BEV includes an electric motor, wherein the energy source for the motor is a battery that is re-chargeable from an external electric grid. A HEV includes an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, wherein the energy source for the engine is fuel and the energy source for the motor is a battery. A PHEV is like a HEV, but the PHEV has a larger capacity battery that is rechargeable from the external electric grid. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are used in BEV, HEV, and PHEV. Due to the nature of vehicle application, these Li-ion batteries are exposed to potential electrical and mechanical abuse during their lifetime. Such abuse may induce a short-circuit internal to the battery cell.